October 27, 2023—The 55th Biannual CCO Commissioners Meeting was held on October 20, 2023, at the IUOE International Training and Education Center in Crosby, Texas, a suburb of Houston. The meetings were generously sponsored by IUOE and TNT Crane & Rigging.
More than 60 CCO Commissioners, committee members, guests, and staff gathered for the Commissioners meeting on Friday, which was preceded as usual by three full days of committee meetings, including the exam management committees for the Mobile Crane, Articulating Crane, Dedicated Pile Driver, Crane Inspector, Lift Director, Telehandler, Signalperson, and Rigger programs.
At the Commission meeting, CCO staff provided updates on the many changes to CCO test administration processes that have been implemented recently as well as additional changes that will be implemented in the coming months. The Commission spent much of the day Friday discussing matters of importance to the management and further development of CCO certification programs and policies. The meeting also provided plenty of opportunity for more informal discourse among the more than 60 subject matter experts who gathered for the event. Numerous volunteers on the exam management committees were also honored for their tenure and service in maintaining and updating CCO certification exams.
On Thursday morning, CCO conducted a training session on the new tablet-based exam administration process for Practical Exam Proctors (PEPs); about 60 PEPs are now ready to administer exams via table beginning January 2, 2024. That afternoon CCO hosted a Q&A session on the new written exam testing modalities.
Also on Thursday, the NCCCO Foundation hosted 60 attendees at the 8th Annual Industry Forum on Personnel Qualifications, which featured a keynote presentation on what’s new at OSHA by Scott Ketcham, Director, OSHA Directorate of Construction. Among other topics, Mr. Ketcham discussed the top crane violations over the last year, specifically citing a high number of violations regarding operator training, certification, and evaluations; inspections; operations; signalperson qualifications, assembly/disassembly; and wire rope inspection. Attendees also received updates on changes to CCO testing, NCCCO foundation activities, and the latest ASME B30 standards.